I am fixing up a house that is requiring way more work that I first thought (due to water intrusion, pets, etc.) and need to replace the entire heating and cooling system. I want a decent lower-end system - something that may not have all the features of the higher-end units, but something that isn't complete junk either.

I'm trying to purchase the system myself and at least install it physically in the home and maybe have a technician come and do the start-up, adjustments, etc.
I've done heatloss calcs, etc and came up with these specs:

FURNACE
-approx. 90,000BTU
-90+% efficiency for direct-vent
-Upflow

A/C
-2.5 TON
-13 SEER
-w/ coil

Can anyone recommend a brand of furnace/AC that's not too expensive, but not going to fail in a couple years either? I've searched and found that Goodman is about the only brand available online. I've read several bad posts re:Goodman, but have also seen some good posts more recently. Anyone have more opinions on Goodman?

Again, I'm just looking for a decent brand with a reasonably priced lower-end model.
Thanks to everyone for any input.

I might suggest a Goodman A/C and a Weatherking furnace, however a Rheem furnace is not much more expensive. I understand the Goodman furnaces are much better today than they used to be.

Thanks NorthernHeat. If I were to use a different brand A/C than furnace, should the evaporator coil match the brand of the condenser? Or should it match the furnace for a better fit? Does the brand matter, or only the correct size?

Also, I was looking into Luxaire (which I guess is made by York). I was very surprised that I can buy it here locally for less than Goodman online. Do you have any opinions on Luxaire quality for either a furnace or A/C? Thanks again for your help.

Never encountered a Luxaire, they must not be sold around here. Cased coil, needs to be the same width as furnace, most match pretty well today, and of course same BTU and SEER as condenser. For simplicity I would make coil same as furnace, condenser can differ.

Luxaire is a fine unit, both A/C and Furnace. Made by York and very dependable. Uses the same main parts as York. Only the enclosures/color are different. We've sold them for many years and have had few problems. I've had both a Luxaire Furnace and A/C unit in my home for 8 years and the only problem I've had is a bad ignitor. And that's to be expected of most any brand... Best to buy the matching coil when you buy the A/C condensing unit...

Rickdb: Do you have an opinion on the lower-end Luxaire Climasure units (specifically GM9 furnace and HBDF A/C)? The home it'll be in isn't going to be a castle, and a standard furnace without all the bells and whistles will suit me and it just fine.

With the 90+ efficiency units coming with a lifetime replacement and the 80+ coming with a 20 year on the heat exchanger, with 5 years for parts, I don't see how you can go wrong. I like the units and the A/C condensers are fairly quiet and compact. Also very easy to service and clean. Indoor units are also space saving designs. If they were trouble, we wouldn't carry them. We were a Goodman/Janitrol dealer for a couple of years and learned our lesson quickly... Not a big fan of the Trane units either...

A equiptment is good. It is the bad installers that are the problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hvac1000

A equiptment is good. It is the bad installers that are the problem.

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True, often it is the installation and set up that leads to troubles, and some times it is the builder of the home.

I agree with the 2 previous posts...most problems, not all are from installer error. Almost all systems are alot alike with the same components, motors and compressors. Due the homework on finding a dependable company to install and make sure they offer 24 hour service to back their installed job up. As for good equipment for the money I like the Goodman and RUUD/Rheem equipment. Parts are readliy available and fairly simple to service. Lennox are high priced and can be a bear to work on if inexperienced in the field to service. Luxaire and York are a little pricey from my experiance, and parts are as well. But again...go with a company with a good reputation....It will help you sleep at night!

Thank you all for your helpful comments and insight. I think I'm going to go with Luxaire. They seem to be a good deal for the money and are readily available near me.

While we have the thread going, does anyone have any suggestions on foil tape vs. mastic for sealing galvanized ductwork? I've read that mastic is the "best" (but looks like a bit of a mess to apply) and, according to published studies, virtually ALL tapes fail in a relatively short amount of time. Just curious of other opinions. Thanks again.